“Ah! Lin Shuang, how dare you hit me? I’m going back to tell my dad so he’ll beat you to death!”
“Lin Shuang, you toxic woman!”
“Save me, I can’t swim……”
After searching and snatching the report letters from Lin Chang’s person, Lin Shuang mercilessly threw them all into the river like dumplings into boiling water.
Yellow-hair questioned loudly, “I clearly helped you, why did you throw me in too?”
Lin Shuang sneered, “Just because you hang out with the Lin brothers. Ask yourself, over all these years, have you really not done a single bad thing following them?”
Yellow-hair fell silent instantly.
Lin Shuang let out a cold snort and turned around; this bunch of scum was usually manipulated by Lin Lanlan and her two brothers, committing all kinds of evil. Throwing them into the water was already an act of kindness on her part.
By the light of the streetlamps, Lin Shuang tore open the report letters and was shocked to realize that the twins were even more despicable than she had thought—she should have disabled them just now.
Auntie Chen’s family, Grandpa Zhuang…… Aunt’s family; anyone related to Lin Shuang, every single one of them was reported, and the contents of the reports were naturally out of thin air, purely fabricated.
Take Auntie Chen, for example.
They actually claimed that Auntie Chen was messing around with someone tonight, describing it with vivid detail; they were probably talking about Lin Lanlan, which was simply ridiculous!
Squatting by the roadside, Lin Shuang was just about to burn them when she suddenly felt someone approaching.
“It’s me!”
Lin Shuang: “……” Consider yourself sensible. Lin Shuang secretly threw the powder she had taken out back into her space.
“How do you walk without making a single sound?”
“Hehe…… habit.” A occupational necessity.
“Is the matter handled?”
Zhuang Zhiyuan habitually pulled out a cigarette, and just as he was about to strike a light, seeing Lin Shuang frown, he hurriedly tucked the cigarette behind his ear.
“Someone is handling it.” Matters outside his jurisdiction weren’t things he would rush to take over; besides, the current clues pointed to the bandits heading down the mountain, so local public security would handle capturing the suspects.
Seeing that he was fine, Lin Shuang didn’t ask further questions.
“What’s that in your hand?”
Lin Shuang simply handed the stack of letters over to Zhuang Zhiyuan.
Although those few scumbags were going down to the countryside the day after tomorrow, if they had the mind to report, they could always find an opportunity.
After reading them, Zhuang Zhiyuan directly set them on fire and burned them.
Rising casually, he said, “Utterly stupid. Luckily, you’re not like your dad.”
“Hey, what do you mean?”
“Let’s go, head home for late-night snacks; I’m starving to death.”
Once in the car, Zhuang Zhiyuan immediately withdrew his smile.
“What’s wrong?”
“Alright, if you’re a man, don’t be so hesitant.” Stopping mid-sentence multiple times—did he think she was blind?
“The old Lin family house caught fire too.”
Zhuang Zhiyuan observed Lin Shuang, and seeing her expression remained calm, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Though don’t worry, only a small part was damaged; with a bit of repair, it can be restored to its original state.”
“You don’t seem to care?”
Lin Shuang raised an eyebrow, “A house dirtied by a gang of scumbags—if it burns, it burns. What’s there to care about?”
Maternal grandfather and the others were no longer around; constantly caring would only add to the sadness.
“Indeed, you shouldn’t care. However, everything in your house was stolen, including the furniture and stuff; except for the flowers in the courtyard, everything that could be moved was cleaned out.”
Lin Shuang really wanted to say that she knew, because she was the one who did it.
“The people I cared about most are no longer around; keeping those things is useless anyway.”
Failing his probe once again, Zhuang Zhiyuan felt that this younger sister his grandfather found for him seemed quite extraordinary.
Grandpa Zhuang lived with his eldest son’s family in the family compound. The young guard at the entrance had eyes like searchlights, questioning anyone who passed by. Lin Shuang prepared herself to be questioned, but unexpectedly, they let them straight in.
This was also the first time Lin Shuang had come to the small two-story courtyard.
Thinking of something, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s just my first time visiting, and I forgot to bring a gift for Grandpa.”
Zhuang Zhiyuan unconsciously let out a chuckle, “No need, my family doesn’t stand on those superficial formalities.”
Lin Shuang was pushed forward.
Zhuang Zhiyuan forgot his keys, and at the first knock, the door opened from the inside.
The person who came to open the door was a short-haired woman in her forties, looking somewhat cold in nature.
“Eldest Aunt, this is Lin Shuang.”
Lin Shuang immediately greeted her politely, “Hello, Auntie!”
“Mm,” Eldest Aunt only gave a faint response, just as cold and disinclined to speak as she had guessed.
“It’s very late, Eldest Aunt, go get some rest quickly.”
Eldest Aunt didn’t reply to that, “Your grandfather is waiting in the study.”
The words were spoken to Zhuang Zhiyuan, but her eyes looked toward Lin Shuang.
Lin Shuang looked at Zhuang Zhiyuan, and Zhuang Zhiyuan went upstairs with a smile, “Come, I’ll take you up.”
Only after reaching the second floor did Zhuang Zhiyuan whisper, “Do you feel quite unaccustomed?”
Lin Shuang immediately shook her head; she would have to be extraordinarily reckless to say something unpleasant in someone else’s home.
Yet this guy seemed bent on probing her.
“Don’t let my Eldest Aunt’s cold exterior fool you; she’s actually very easy to get along with.”
“After my dad sacrificed his life, my mom abandoned me and remarried for her own happiness. It was my Eldest Aunt who took me to her side to raise me.”
Lin Shuang also noticed that when mentioning Eldest Aunt, the corners of Zhuang Zhiyuan’s mouth curled up unconsciously.
“Then she must be the type who is cold on the outside but warm on the inside.”
Zhuang Zhiyuan nodded in agreement, “Once you get familiar with her, you’ll know her goodness.”
Lin Shuang nodded in response.
A thousand people have a thousand faces; some people simply don’t like to speak, but their gentleness is hidden in their actions.
The study door was half-ajar, with a portion of light spilling out.
Just as they approached, a familiar voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
Zhuang Zhiyuan familiarly pushed open the door, and Lin Shuang followed inside.
In the room, Grandpa Zhuang was still flicking abacus beads.
The thin calluses faintly visible at the knuckles were originally worn out from using the abacus over many years; occasionally, he would stop and lightly tap the mahogany desk with his slender index finger.
Unlike that day in the bank when he wore a sharp, dark gray Mao suit, Grandpa Zhuang was dressed very casually today, wearing just an undershirt.
However, the silvery-white sideburns were still combed meticulously, and the round-framed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose gleamed with a brass patina, with shrewd light flashing from time to time behind the lenses.
The fine lines at the corners of his eyes would gather slightly when flipping through the ledger, still carrying the gentle luster unique to old-style bankers as his gaze shifted.
Lin Shuang’s eyes blurred slightly; she felt as if she had just seen her own biological grandfather.
“You brat, did you bully your sister?” When the old gentleman scolded someone with a cold face, he was still very imposing.
Zhuang Zhiyuan felt he was wronged more than Dou E, “Grandpa, with you protecting her, how would I dare? Anyone who didn’t know would think Lin Shuang is your biological granddaughter and I was picked up from the streets.”
Grandpa Zhuang snorted coldly, “It’s good that you know.”
“Shuangshuang, come sit down.”
“Thank you, Grandpa Zhuang.” Lin Shuang sat over smoothly.
“Shuangshuang, there’s no need to stand on ceremony with family; thanking back and forth is too distant.”
Lin Shuang responded obediently, “I’ll listen to Grandpa Zhuang.”
Zhuang Zhiyuan’s eyes were wide open in amazement; having met a few times, this was the first time he saw her so obedient, much like the cat he used to raise, with that fluffy top of her head—he really wanted to pet it!
“Calling you over, this old man wanted to ask you in person: have you really thought it through to go to the Northwest?”
Lin Shuang hadn’t expected Grandpa Zhuang called her over for this matter.
“Grandpa Zhuang, I’ve thought it through.” Lin Shuang looked at the elderly man before her with determined eyes when suddenly, a family biography about the Zhuang family dropped into her mind.
A beautiful and noble lady kicked away the young boy holding onto her leg, turned around coldly, took a man’s arm, and walked away with nonchalance.